Long Lost Lady
by ChibiKitty95
Summary: *Set in season 6, before the discovery of the Blue Morpho* Mrs. The Monarch hired a new Hench-woman to help her with all her Guild work after her murderous moppets had recently passed. Her name is Lady Lacewing. But Gary is about to meet a blast from his past.
1. Chapter 1

_A small 3rd grade class was getting ready for the morning. Putting their backpacks in their cubbies and sitting patiently in their seats. The teacher walked up to the front of the room with a young girl. She was staring at the floor, too shy to look at everyone. She nervously fidgeted with the hem of her grey shirt with the character Wonder Woman on the front._

 _"Class, this is Sandra Miller. This is her first day so let's all make her feel welcome." Sandra pushed up her glasses as she looked up and sheepishly smiled at the class. She was then excused to her seat near the back left half of the room. She sat next to a chubby boy wearing black cargo shorts and a star wars tee-shirt. He swooped his messy brown hair to the side and tried to say hello, but Sandra didn't look up. She just kept her head down on her desk, writing notes in her notebook. The boy then ripped out a piece of paper and wrote down a little note. Making sure the teacher wasn't looking, he dropped the folded up paper on his neighbor's desk. When he noticed Sandra see the note, he softly smiled to himself. He peered over out the corner of his eye as she opened it._

 _"Hi Sandra. I'm Gary. Do you want to be friends?"_

Sheila walked into the living room of her and the Monarch's new home. She was looking through the paperwork of the new hench she hired. After Tim-Tom and Kevin's passing, she needed some extra help with her Guild work since Monarch and Gary were busy doing their own things. She sat down on the couch with a contented sigh, placing the papers on the coffee table. Her husband entered from the kitchen, midway eating a ham sandwich. He stood behind his wife and started to read over her shoulder.

"How's the henchette search going, Honey Bunch?" he said with his mouth full of food. Sheila turned around and handed him a photograph. She seemed almost excited about meeting her.

"I actually think I found the perfect one. She is more than qualified, and she has a pretty extensive background. Her outfit is even butterfly themed already. I gave her a call earlier and she is going to be her in a little while." Monarch took the photo and looked her over. The young woman had short copper colored hair in a pixie style cut. Her slender frame was inside a short tulip style skirt, with a midriff connected at the sides. The color scheme copied the look of an Orange Lacewing Butterfly. A black and white top, merging down to an orange bottom with a chevron style black trim. She wore black heeled boots; similar to Sheila's, but not as long-ending just a little over her knees. Her hands donned forearm length, white lace, fingerless gloves. Lastly, she wore a subtle silver colored masquerade mask in the shape of small butterfly wings, over icy blue eyes. Monarch swallowed his food before he spoke.

"Seems kinda too... girly... to be a villain, isn't she?" he then peered at the top of the

photo. "And what's her name?...'Lady Lacewing?' That's not a name of intimidation and villainy... that's the name of a Girl Scout." he groaned, tossing the photo back on the couch. Sheila rolled her eyes as she gathered the papers and straightened them out.

"Well this is her most recent hench identity. She worked for a small team of villians that had an insect theme going on. I asked her about it, and she agreed to any possible costume changes." she continued, Monarch half listening. "But I don't know, I think this one pretty cute." she added.

Lady's skills mostly consisted of working with city level jewel thieves and cat burglars. Sheila knew she would mostly use Lady as an assistant for her while working on Guild matters; but she knew if it came to anything, Lady had various fighting skills at her disposal. She knew she could take care of herself. Sheila's phone started to ring from inside her purse in the kitchen. She went to answer it as Monarch walked around and plopped on the couch, finishing his sandwich.

"Could you grab me a drink while you're in there, Honey Bunch?" he asked with a slight whine in his voice. Sheila ignored him as she answered the call. The front door opened and Gary came in, carrying a few bags of groceries. Him and his boss exchanged small hellos as he made his way the kitchen. Monarch even asked him for a drink, since he figured his wife wasn't going to get it. Gary agreed as he started to put the food stuffs away. Sheila was finishing up her conversation.

"Yes I'm sure that will be fine. Ok. Ok, you too. Goodbye." she slipped her phone back in her bag, and greeted Gary with a half smile. "I swear, it seems like the Guild just falls apart whenever I'm not there. Oh, before I forget, we are having my new hench coming here today. Would you mind her sharing your room for now until we get one of the other rooms finished?" she asked. Gary looked over to her as he shut one of the cupboards closed.

"Oh, umm, I-I guess so." he answered a little nervously. He didn't expect to be asked a question like that today. Sheila smiled as she helped him put the remaining items away.

"Yeah. I know it's pretty last minute, but I'm sure you two will get along well. And I expect you to be a perfect gentleman." she said a bit sternly. Gary rolled his eyes; she was sounding like his mother.

"Please, I will be the coolest guy ever." he assured his boss lady. The doorbell rang out from the front hallway.

"Oh that must be her now." Sheila perked up, straightened out her black Guild suit-dress, and went to answer the door. Gary grabbed a few sodas from the fridge and met up with Monarch in the living room; they started to quietly discuss any plans they had for the day.

"It's so nice to meet you, please come in." Sheila's voice chimed as she helped their new visitor with her bags. Gary leaned back in his spot on the couch, sipping on the sugary substance, as he listened to his boss. His mind started to wonder; he thought about what kind of henchwoman Mrs. hired. Gary snapped out of his trance when he heard two sets of high heels tapping up the hallway. Monarch stopped mid sentence before Sheila entered the living room.

"Boys, this is Lady Lacewing." Sheila announced. Lady was in her costume and sat one of her bags down at her feet. Sheila placed a hand on her shoulder. "Lady, this is my husband The Monarch." the two shook hands. Monarch still wasn't sure about her until he was able to see what she could do. "And this is Gary, his henchman." Gary's eyes locked onto hers. Lady stood still in her tracks, a cold wave of surprise and relief washed over her. Gary could hear his heartbeat in his ears, he couldn't believe what he was seeing. After all this time.

"Hello, Gary." she said in a soft voice. Gary's hand slowly reached up and grabbed hers. His heart started to beat faster once they made contact. Lady just gave him a bigger smile as she went in for a hug. Gary blushed a bit, hoping to himself that he wasn't dreaming. He just stood there, his hands out a bit from his sides. He didn't know if he should hug her back.

"It's been so long." Lady whispered. "I'm so happy to see you again."


	2. Chapter 2

~ _2 years later. 5th grade._ ~

 _Sandra sat alone in a corner of the library during lunch period. She was entranced by the science fiction novel she had borrowed from Gary. She had started it that morning and couldn't put it down—even getting in trouble for reading it during class. She was so involved in the story that she didn't notice the three girls beginning to surrounding her._

" _Well well well, look at the little bookworm." One of the girls spoke, as she yanked the book out of Sandra's hands. "What'cha reading, nerd?"_

" _Give it back, Becky." Sandra squeaked out. The girls continued to play keep-away with her book, and pushing Sandra away if she tried to get it back. She was knocked back down to the floor, as the bullies continued to mock and belittle their victim. She could feel tears begin to pool in her eyes, she kept her head low as she didn't want to give them the satisfaction of seeing her cry. Sandra finally mustered up her courage as she stood back up, rushed at Becky, grabing the book back, and ran out of the library. Sprinting down the hallway, she heard the faint footsteps of the bullies behind her. Gary was walking down the other end of the hall, reading one of his Marvel comic books. He looked up briefly when he turned the page and saw Sandra running toward him._

" _Hey Sandra, what's going-?" He was cut off when she grabbed his arm and pulled him into a nearby janitor's closet._

" _It's Becky...get in." Sandra gasped as she shut the door behind them. She put her ear to the door and held her breath. She heard approaching footsteps, silence, then heard the girls descending down the hall. Sandra let out a sigh of relief as she turned around to face Gary._

 _The two blushed a bit, as the closet was so small, it made them stand only a few feet apart from each other. Sandra cleared her throat as she turned around and fumbled with the doorknob. The pair both exited the closet once the coast was clear. Making sure no one else was around to see them. Sandra didn't want anyone to get the wrong idea. The sudden burst of the bell ending lunch rang out throughout the school._

" _Sorry for doing that to you, Gary. I didn't want Becky messing with you too." Sandra said as they walked back to their class. Gary shrugged it off, putting his comic in his bag._

" _Nah. I could've taken her, no problem." He then proceeded to do some amateur karate moves and making exaggerated fighting sounds. Sandra couldn't help but giggle._

" _Oh look, there's Becky." Sandra said. Gary let out a little yelp and hid behind her. Sandra let out a laugh as Gary saw through her joke._

" _Oh ha ha. Very funny, Sandy." He replied sarcastically, adjusting his backpack straps. Sandra gave him a playful pat on the shoulder, and pretty soon Gary was laughing at himself; trying to hide the soft glow that was growing back into his cheeks._

" _Hey, we're still on to marathon Star Wars at your place tomorrow, right?" Sandra asked, holding Gary's book close to her chest. Gary gave her a big smile._

" _Of course, my young Padawan. My mom said you could stay for dinner too. I mean, if you wanna." Gary replied, the glow in his cheeks starting to become more prominent. Sandra smiled at him before they parted to their separate classrooms._

" _It's a date then. See you then, Gary." Sandra said as she opened the door to her class. Gary just stood in the empty hallway, his face as red as a tomato._

" _D-date?"_

Gary continued to stay still once Lady broke the hug. Sheila and Monarch looked at each other and then back at the pair of henches in slight confusion. Lady was almost beaming when she looked into Gary's eyes. So many memories came flooding into her mind. Even a few she thought she'd long forgotten. Sheila checked her watch and then cleared her throat. Lady turned around to face her, forgetting she was in front of her new boss.

"I'm sorry to break this up, Lady, but we have a reservation to get to. Gary, could you be a dear and take her things upstairs?" Gary, coming out of his slight trance, nodded his head. Lady felt a little embarrassed when she followed Sheila out the door and into her car. Once out of his line of sight, Gary plopped on the couch next to Monarch, still feeling dumbstruck. Monarch let out a hearty laugh at his henchman's expense.

"Damn, 21. What was that all about?" Monarch couldn't believe what he witnessed. Gary just sat there, his chin resting in his hands. He felt like he wasn't so sure how to process all of this. The butterflies in his guts were going crazy, giving him a slight nauseous feeling. He took a deep breath before speaking.

"That..was someone I never thought I would see again…"

Lady and Sheila sat in the back of the limo as they made their way to the Italian restaurant Vincenzo's. Sheila was reapplying her lipstick and Lady sat quietly next to her, looking out the window while she organized her thoughts. Most of the ride was quiet until Sheila spoke.

"I know it may be a bit overwhelming to have you do all this on your first day, but I really appreciate you helping me out while I have my hands full with the Guild." Lady smiled at her brightly.

"I don't mind it at all, Mrs. Monarch. I see it as a great opportunity. I'm a pretty big fan

of your work. I've followed your

career since your Queen Etherea days." Lady replied. Sheila couldn't help but blush a little bit at the praise. The thought of having a fan had never really occurred to her. The pair continued their small talk when Sheila reached for a black bag that sat on an empty seat, and handed it to Lady. Inside was some civilian clothing.

"Just in case you don't want to go out in your costume." Lady politely declined her offer.

She started to undo her skirt, revealing a pair of black shorts. She fully unraveled the skirt and wrapped it over her, like a makeshift poncho that covered most of her body. She removed her accessories, slipping them in a hidden pocket inside the poncho. She then slipped on a pair of square framed glasses.

"Ta-da." Lady said confidently. Sheila seemed impressed.

"Pretty neat. Kinda hipster of you." she praised. "The glasses are a nice touch." Lady giggled to herself as she pushed the frames up so they wouldn't fall off her nose.

"Well the glasses are actually prescription. I even had lenses put into my mask." she replied. The women made it to the restaurant and sat near the back. They talked about work and their lives, or rather what they could reveal. They laughed and joked together like they were a pair of old friends catching up. Once there was a slight lull in the conversation, Sheila took a sip of her wine and became a little more serious.

"So, what was with that whole thing with Gary?" Lady bit her lip in embarrassment, but she knew it was bound to come up sooner or later. "I just want to know if it's something that will affect your work with myself and the Guild." Lady rubbed the back of her neck before she spoke.

"Gary and I were friends when we were kids. In fact, he was my best friend. We were a couple of nerds who hung out all the time and had each other's backs when it came to the school bullies. But then around middle school he just vanished and I never saw or heard from him again." Lady fiddled with her napkin absentmindedly, softly smiling to herself. "I'm just happy to see that he is alright." Sheila looked at her assistant softly, studying her face.

"You two were close?" she asked. Lady let out a small chuckle as she let go of the cloth.

"The only times we weren't together was when it was time to go home for dinner. We were practically joined at the hip." Lady's expression became somber, memories of their childhood frolics overwhelmed her thoughts, wishing to herself that they could've spent more time together.

"I wonder why he didn't try to contact me…" she muttered to herself. Lady then let out a sigh and forced a smile to Sheila.

"Sorry, didn't mean to be a downer for a moment." Sheila smiled at her and placed her hand on her arm.

"I'll talk to my husband and see if he'll let Gary loose for the night, so you two can catch up." Lady's eyes sparkled and she couldn't help but give Sheila a big hug.

"I can already tell you are going to be a great boss."

* * *

 **Author Note:** Hi everyone. Love seeing the feedback for this story and I really appreciate that you all enjoy it. Now, I'm going to apologize in advance for future chapters not coming out as fast as you all would like. I just want each chapter to be perfect and the story to flow in just the right way. so don't expect chapter 3 for about another month, or longer. Happy reading. :)


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